Shires MD model

[wesleyrubim]

Hey everyone,

What are your thoughts about Shires MD or MD+?
Between Marshall and MD model, what are the differences?

Recently I’ve played MD model at some shop and I fall in love with it, but they didn’t have the MD+ and Marshall model to compare

[Mv2541]

They’re excellent! I think the sound of the Shires are pretty boring, but I think it’s the easiest playing horn I’ve ever tried overall.

[Burgerbob]

Good horns, I find the 3B to simply be better for me than the MD+. Heard lots of great players on the Marshall model lately.

[hyperbolica]

I've had the MD+, 3bf and a bunch of other 508s. The MD+ I had was really nice, it felt like an "everything" sort of horn to me, tending toward the small side (closer to 500 than 525).

I have a 3bf, and the main thing I like about it is the F attachment on a small bore. If it weren't for that, I don't think I'd own one. The sound is a little raw to me, which I guess is just because I'm more a Conn sound guy than a King sound guy.

The horn in that size that has kind of stolen my heart recently is the Getzen 3508r. With the 3 different leadpipes (and 3 appropriate mouthpieces) you really can get a wide range of sound/feel. The #1 pipe with a DE C2 is like a 2b size horn that's easy to control and not too tight. The #2 pipe with a D/E 3/4 mouthpiece is a nice 508 feel (meatier than a 3b). Use the #3 pipe with an F4 and you get a fat 525 kind of sound. I'm sorry I didn't find this model earlier. I just wish I had one with a trigger on it.

On the Marshal Gilkes, I haven't played that model directly, but other horns with that bore combination (Yamaha 456 - without comparing Shires to Yamaha) have the openness of the 525 and the tight articulation of the smaller bore. It feels a little bigger on the 508 - 525 spectrum which might work best for people who are very attached to 547 bore. I can't imagine going wrong with either MD+ or MG, the only regret would be not having both.

Overall I'm not much of a Yamaha fan, but the 456 is a horn that you might be hard pressed to characterize if you just picked it up to play it and had to guess what it was. The 500/525 bore combo is kind of magical especially for 525 aficionados. The 891z is also nice, but seems to lack ... character ... up against something like the MD+ and especially the 3508r.

There's also a Courtois 402 which plays great, but for me it had some intonation quirks that conflicted with my natural instincts.

Between the excellent vintage horns out there (3b, 79h, 32h, etc) and some of these really fantastic new ones, it's easy to feel a little spoiled, and a little confused when making a choice.

[Jimkinkella]

I’ve played both, the MD was good but the MD+ was great.
The MD was kind of like a mix of 2b / Urbie Green / Bach 8, without settling into any particular vibe.
The MD+ was (for me) an easier playing version of a 3b, takes a little bit less air and a bit easier to manipulate the sound. I ended up picking one up, getting one of Brad Close’s seamed copper leadpipes, and it’s now the horn that gets played out most often.
I’ve had a few 3bs, might pick up another one in silver w/ a valve sometime but for straight .508 horns going to stick with the MD+